It's 50F and sunny. That means the bike came off the trainer, and I headed out. The kids took their bikes out at the same time. I did just over 25 miles in 1:25. It was a pretty laid back ride, meaning I've been seriously shorting my estimates for time spent on the trainer. I've been using 15 mph for spin rides, and they've been much more challenging than today's ride, outside. Of course, just being outside probably helped. A lot!

I took this picture after I got home. Most of the gear I have on is courtesy of someone else. The cold weather cycling top and the gloves were Christmas presents from my in-laws, and the tights (that can't be seen) were from a gift certificate I got at the first triathlon I ever entered. The Tri Fox cycling shorts are mine.

Trigreyhound - Lawyer, advocate, husband, two time Ironman (does he share some of Tac Boy's superpowers?)

If I missed anyone, please let me know.

Now, on to other weekend events. With Friday off, I was able to get some good bike training completed. Thursday evening I headed out toward High Cliff to bike the hill only to find a bunch of Tri Foxes near the swim start for the High Cliff Triathlon. They were holding a "newbie" swim, and I stopped to help out as best I could. We always put together a swim gauntlet to get people used to swimming with a bunch of people. Anyone who can survive our swim gauntlet will be fine in a mass start. With the ride home, it was just over 20 miles, though with a 40 minute break between sets.

I woke up early Friday so I could get in a 90-minute ride before Mrs. Pol left for the day. I went closer to 1:45, cranking out 33 miles in that time. It was cool with nearly dead calm air. The rest of the day was dedicated to my kids, including repairs to the training wheels on Monster Girl's "big girl" bike.

Saturday I volunteered at set-up for the High Cliff Triathlon, then headed to the pool for a swim workout with the tri club kids. It turned out to be only one young man, allowing us to focus on a few weak areas of his stroke. Summer always makes group workouts a challenge. The rest of Saturday was spent disassembling, cleaning, and rebuilding our clothes dryer. Apparently, I still need a few parts, as it won't run. Mrs. Pol is searching for those items, and I'll be going through the process again when we have them. For now, we have the cleanest broken dryer on the planet.

Sunday was filled with preaching at church and training. I headed out for a planned 2.5 hour ride once the kids were napping. After about 18 miles, minimally threatening clouds suddenly darkened, and I found myself on the very edges of a rapidly developing lightening storm.

While I'm not one to let a bit of rain deter me from a ride, I've been shocked enough to know getting hit by lightening shouldn't be on a "to do" list. I decided to heed the storm's suggestion I head home. The turn around was a bit of a bummer as I had just reached the bottom of a fairly major hill. The electricity in the air motivated me to get back UP the hill at nearly 18 miles per hour. I finished the 36 mile ride with an average pace of about 19.5 mph.

The new route I was using turned out to be a very nice change. On Friday morning, I passed a deer while riding through the state park. We were only about 10 feet apart when I passed, and it never moved. I passed another deer on Sunday, though nowhere near as close.

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Added to the work, training, and volunteering is the fact that my back somehow stopped bothering me Sunday morning. I didn't really notice it until I went to put my shoes on and had no trouble doing so. For the past several weeks, shoes and socks have been quite a chore because I couldn't really bend properly. Yesterday and today, absolutely fine (knock on wood).

This is a good omen as I have less than four weeks until my next race, the Spirit of Racine half-IM.

Roman Mica recently posted an article about a local sheriff's take on cyclists, traffic laws, and attitudes. The sheriff, along with many readers, made very vocal comments about their perception of the attitude of cyclists. In return, cyclists tried to help others understand the environment they sometimes face. And to be fair, other cyclists did much to prove the sheriff's point.

On Sunday, there was yet another incident in which cyclists paid the price for the actions of a driver. In a race in Monterrey, Mexico, an alledgedly drunk and sleeping driver slammed into riders on the course of a local race. One cyclist was killed and another 10 were injured. One article is here. A word of caution, the included picture is quite disturbing and somewhat graphic.

To avoid the accusation of stereotyping, allow me to start by saying that not all drivers are drunk. Most drivers remain awake while driving and focus reasonable attention to the road and others around them. And it is, fortunately, still relatively rare for a cyclist to be hit by a motorist.

There is, however, a big "but." Cyclists have no way of knowing which motorist IS drunk. Or asleep. Or paying more attention to (pick one: their cell phone, the radio, breakfast/lunch/dinner, personal hygiene, some very important aspect of the local scenery). When a car is approaching with a great deal of momentum, cyclists have little warning of any impending doom.

So, when the motorist decides at the last moment to lay on their horn to "warn" the cyclist they are passing, reactions tend to be negative. If passengers in the car try to "share" a beverage container (or the actual beverage) with the cyclist, the response is unlikely to be positive. Motorists (and civil authorities) who are completely oblivious to the law regarding a cyclist's right to the road often elicit bad attitudes.

I share the road with hundreds of cars every time I get on my bike. The vast majority of them are in the hands of responsible drivers. The occassional poor choice on their part is most likely offset by the occassional poor choice on my part. The opportunity for unintentional situations always exist.

They aren't the ones that concern me. For any non-cycling motorists who might read this, remember that "wonder" is a two way street. While you wonder about a cyclist's "negative attitude," they are wondering if you're driving the car that is going to injure or kill them.

Sometimes, "bad" weather can lead to a lot of good. This weekend, we were hit with a lot of snow in a fairly short period of time. Those watching the play-off game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks witnessed one positive outcome of all the snow. In all his years at Green Bay, Brett Favre had never played a game in conditions like those they faced Saturday.

Another good outcome of all the snow was The Pol-R Express finally making it into the basement and onto the trainer. Since Ironman Louisville, my workouts have been focused on swimming and running. Very minimal effort has been put in on the bike. And by minimal I mean very few rides. And by very few rides, I mean one. For 20 miles.

Hey, some people stay out of the pool forever, some stayed off the bike.

Sunday, that changed when two days of off and on snow made running a bad option. So, I grabbed the bike, put it on the trainer, and threw "The Matrix - Revolutions" into the DVD player. I didn't know if I would watch the whole movie, but figured two hours would be the most I would go.

After 60 minutes at an average heart rate of 138, I was ready to call it a workout. Once I replace the pedal magnet for cadence indications, I'll be better able to monitor workouts. For this "first in a long time" ride, I just cycled through gears and maintained a decent cadence.

Snow has a lot of downsides. But sometimes, good can come of it. Just ask the Green Bay Packers, or look at my training log. Who would have guessed that the NFC playoffs and spinning would have anything in common?

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Things have been a bit slow the past couple days, as far as blog ideas go. Work has been a bit frantic, I've played full time dad while Mrs. Pol gets some time out of the house, and the kids have kept me hopping. What little time I have had, I've been trying to hit some of the blogs in the Tri Blog Community.

So, I was glad to see today's post on the raceAthlete. Brett over at Zen and the Art of Triathlon writes about a co-worker embarking on an interesting journey. He does a good job of putting the story into words, so swing by his site or raceAthlete to check it out.

His co-worker has set up a blog, The Accidental Cyclist, to document her experience, and she might enjoy a bit of bloggy comment love. I'll be adding her as an honorary member of the Tri Blog Community, even if she doesn't join the dark side. Of course, with Brett in her office, I wouldn't be shocked to find her current situation leads to a much longer journey. Stop by, show her your support, and follow along as she stands up to adversity.

On Friday, September 21, the arbitration panel reviewing the doping case of Floyd Landis ruled that the positive test result that has stalled his career would stand. This ruling, which will result in a 2-year ban from the sport of cycling and his being stripped of his Tour de France title, is laced with controversy.

(Picture at left, Floyd Landis after his Tour de France victory. AP Photo)

First, there was a dissent in the ruling. While the majority held that the errors committed by the testing lab do not automatically nullify the second positive, the minority opinion raises an interesting question. Can a lab notorious for administrative and procedural errors, testing discrepancies, and flawed results be trusted? More importantly, if the lab screwed up the simple initial testing process, how can they be trusted to have properly complete the secondary testing, an admittedly more complex and challenging process? In the opinion of the minority, that trust cannot be granted.

Also intersting is the stance that Landis' lawyer has taken. If Floyd Landis is unable to vindicate himself in this case, it is senseless for anyone charged (rightly or wrongly) to even attempt to clear their name. Let's face it, the majority opinion admitted in their decision that mistakes were made, and the lab may well see future rulings dismissed if they continue the same practices used in this case.

Say what?!? Future cases will face dismissal, but this one stands? Here's an analogy. "We acknowledge that the evidence used to convict this death row inmate may be flawed. And we acknowledge the methodology used to convict said inmate may have been improper. In the future, such cases will face dismissal. But in this case, carry on with the execution." How would you like to be that inmate?

I don't know if Floyd Landis used illegal substances to fuel his amazing victory in the Tour de France. I do understand that there are valid and compelling questions about his recovery that tend to lend credence to the theory he did. There are equally compelling arguments that tend to support negating the testing as potentially flawed and untrustworthy (note, I didn't say "inaccurate," simply untrustworthy).

One thing is certain, though. Cycling (and hopefully triathlon) will not follow the same path taken by many sports, baseball in particular. Negative drug tests will not be met with a lackadaisical attitude. There will be no hearings 10 years from now about whether so-and-so was on steroids. The use of illegal substances, when identified, will be dealt with quickly and harshly. And defending oneself against such charges will be difficult.

That, of course, is the real challenge. How do we balance strict enforcement with equitable treatment? If a case riddled with inconsistencies and errors such as this one are still indefensible, has enforcement outweighed justice?

Just who is this Iron Pol?

A former out of shape sailor, who became a marathoner, then a triathlete, Ironman, and ultramarathoner. Now, life has pushed me into short track speed skating. More important than the titles is the lifestyle, and sharing it with others.